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Topic: Seattle Ducati/RE might close! (Read 2194 times)

TV news story just aired here about the construction project (thank you Paul Allen...) that has ripped the income of Ducati/RE Seattle.

Owner Dave Roosevelt was on camera shown pushing Ducatis out of the building for display (but no REs, alas). He was quoted as saying that he will likely close the shop in Sept/Oct/Nov if things continue as they are now. He said something about being half a million down in sales/service this year already. Hey, I've done my part buying stuff from them.

I wonder if Kevin M has a plan B in place for the Enfields. I still think that Moto International (#1 Guzzi dealer in the USA) would be a nice fit, but owner Dave Richardson would have to lose the Aprila brand which parent company Piaggo might not allow if Guzzis are being sold. Kevin did approach M.I. about it before eventually landing at the Ducati shop.

Dude that sux! Another thing that erks me to no end is companies like Piaggo and their stupid restrictions they make on dealers who sell their products. If you wanna sell Aprilla or Piaggo/Vespas, they will not allow you to sell anything else! They want all US dealerships to be this stupid "boutique" for scoots! My local scooter shop sold Kymco, Stella's, TGB and the occasion chinese scooter and at that time was the ONLY full service shop in town that would work on scooters. When they approached Vespa about carrying their line, Piaggo said "get rid of all that other crap, Give us 250k and we will think about letting you sell our scooters" COMPLETE A**HOLES! Then when they were told that wouldnt happen and Tulsa could do without a "VESPA BOUTIQUE" they opened one couple miles away. However, nearest service was 200 miles away. Most owners still brought their bikes in for service but vespa cryed about the warranties. That Awesome shop is now CLOSED. Sure the economy is partly to blame, but alot of companies make it very difficult for a hardworking dealership to turn a buck now days. end rant

same old story...corporate sets the rules and u must abide or no selling their product...Go figure, and then the place closes up, they don't sell this product anymore in that area and the customers who previuosly purchased are left high n dry...What's good a warranty if u can't take it anywhere? Maybe the US market isn't good anymore...

Yeah, when Ducati USA heard that Ducati Seattle had Royal Enfields on the showroom floor next to their plastic Italian bikes, they about had a heart attack. I am not joking.

Owner Dave said that they used to have an 80% rule in the showrooms with other brands (not counting scooters) being allowed up to 20% of space. Apparently Ducati USA changed it recently to 100%, which might explain why the Enfields are now either on the sidewalk in dry weather or in the garage in wet weather.

Dave asks me these days if I wouldn't like a Ducati as a "back-up" bike to my C5. He winces when I say how ugly the Ducatis are, although the basic 696 Monster is not too ugly. For a "back-up" I would rather have a CBR-250R or TU-250X or V7 Classic.

If you are proud of your product, and know that you have made it a good value for the quality and performance that it provides, why in the world would you be worried about it sitting next to another brand? Most people dont walk into the first motorcyle or scooter shop with 6-10 k in their pocket and buy the first bike they see. Most people look around for something that meets their needs and is in their budget. So, IMHO, the companies guilty of these practices must know that their only hope in stealing a portion of the market share is to fool the customer into buying a "BRAND" not a bike. Meanwhile, hardworking folks, that care about bikes and their riders, go bankrupt trying live their dream. Pisses me off. grrrr

Yeah, that construction has made their shop difficult to access for a while. I was wondering if it was hurting their business. I hope they are able to survive. As far as the Ducati bikes go, I haven't had any interest in them since they quit making the GT1000 classic model. Aside from the price, I just find the style of motorcycles they have in their lineup appallingly ugly. I'm not knocking it for those that like the modern sport bike looks, but it's just not my cup of tea. There isn't a single bike they make that I would keep, even if it was given to me. I'd have a couple of Bullets though, if I could afford it!

I stopped at the dealership and talked with owner Dave Roosevelt. He smiled and said that the shop got LOTS of sympathy phone calls today and SOLD four motorcycles today (no RE's, though). I told him I want to test-ride the B5 when it gets set up. It is in transit now.

He really smiled when I said I would like to test-ride the Monster 696 and offered me to get out one that instant. Too bad I had dinner to get home to.

Motointernaional has carried both for years: Piaggio owns them both and Dave has no interest in REs. He has also carried off brands from time to time, like MZ, does pretty much what he wants. But look out Stack, he's a good leftie!!

Motointernaional has carried both for years: Piaggio owns them both and Dave has no interest in REs. He has also carried off brands from time to time, like MZ, does pretty much what he wants. But look out Stack, he's a good leftie!!

Yes, you are correct. He is a good leftie. He doesn't wear it on his sleeve!

Let's hope they are doing alright and can find another spot to relocate too. That spot has to be pricey so close to downtown. A little more off the beaten track and they might get a bigger shop for less. Let's hope.

And a warning to you stack, if you ride a Ducati you will buy one. Maybe not today but someday. They are finnicky, fiddly, pricey little scoots that just drip Italian sex and power. My Monster was the nicest street bike I ever owned, gobs of torque everywhere. They get spanked on the track at top end but man do they shine on the street and back roads.

That bike is a torture rack, I can't even sit on it in the showroom with my back. But it's way sexy. The GT 1000 is a nice bike but I tend to slide forward on the seat and the front end feels vague, not enough weight over it I think.

As with most "retro" models, the Ducati Sport Classics are a far cry from the original versions that they try to mimic.Yes, the new ones are alot faster.But I have owned the old 74 Sport bevel-twin, and also sat on the new ones.It's totally different. One of the most noticeable things is that the new bike is fat and bulbous in comparison to the narrow and sleek originals.I just don't like the fat designs that are everywhere these daysI'd take an original Sport anyday, over one of the new ones.

It's so funny. All they'd have to do is make the same bike they used to make, but nobody seems to be able to do it. All they can do is try to cobble some "retro looking" bodywork on to the latest model, and try to sell it.If Ducati made a new copy of the real 74 Sport, they'd sell a ton of them.And if Guzzi made a new copy of the real LeMans Mk1, they'd sell a ton of them too.But they both made a half-hearted attempt at a "re-style" of the new bike, and they just didn't make it.

I think the RE is the most accurate looking vintage "retro" bike out there. I know the engine is different, but most of the rest of it is pretty accurate vintage look.